Prior to the advent of computers, software and e-mails, hacking was something that tropical explorers did to get through jungle over-growth and a hack was a taxi cab or a professional who didn't do a very good job, like the hacks at the Washington Post. Life was simple then, no voice mail, e-mail, texts or cell phones. When you left work, you left work. If someone needed to find you they would page you (if you were really important) or they would simply have to wait until the next work day. Security meant that you locked your front door, office or car when you were away. As amazing as it may seem, we actually survived.
Once the age of computers and e-mails hit, life would never be the same. Everyone and everything was accessible 24\7. Need a few greenbacks? Cash was an ATM away. Hungry? Seamless will deliver . Need a hack? Uber is at your service ... except now a taxi isn't the first thing you think of when you hear the term hack. America was introduced to a new definition of 'hack' in 1997 when the program AOHell was released onto unsuspecting AOL users and brought the "you got mail" network to its knees with spam e-mail messages; add to that a whole host of credit card and bank account hacks and the first thing that came to mind when you talked about 'Security' was anti-virus software and password protection.
But the metamorphosis of the word 'hack' didn't end there. A few years ago, I was playing one of my all-time favorite vidja games Snood. When my son told me he had a hack for the game.
"Oh My God! You can go to jail for hacking a video game ... and where in the world did you learn how to hack a website anyways? Is that what that high priced Catholic High School is teaching you? You may not have learned to read or write if you had gone to public school, but they wouldn't have taught you to break the law ... with the possible exception of how to cook up some Meth."
He then explained (as he wrestled the phone away from me before I could hit the second 1 in 9-1-1) that 'hack' now meant a unique solution to solving a certain problem (e.g., component or level of a video game) that proved difficult to master ... or something to that effect. So a hack wasn't necessarily a bad thing anymore. It reminded me of when I was in high school. I had my feelings hurt when I thought a lot of the other kids in my class were making fun of me by calling me a nerd; but my mother explained to me that begin called a nerd had actually become a good thing ... like the term "dope" had evolve from meaning stupid to now has became a way to describe something that was super cool; like LeBron James is dope. Hey, I guess LeBron is also a nerd like me too!
It seems the metamorphosis of the word 'hack" didn't end there. While I was flying to Poland on United, I learned of yet another mutation of the definition of the word hack. I was watching an advertisement on the in-flight entertainment system when I saw a "travel expert" sponsored by American Express give a 'hack' for traveling with children. She recommended to bring snacks and games onto the flight to help keep the kids occupied! Really? Games and sugary treats to keep kids occupied? I would have never thought of that. What sheer brilliance! So now I guess the definition of hack has made the leap from a taxi ... to a computer crime ... to an easy solution to a getting past a tough, video game level ... to passing off an obvious, common sense answer as "expert advice". What will be next?
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